An Analogy for Stage 3

If you watched Stage 3 of the Tour, you saw something special. I don't claim to be an expert on the bike game, nor on the history thereof, but I do know an extraordinary performance when I see one.

If you'd like, you can watch the following video, which shows the final kilometer-or-so of the 237k day. I strongly suggest watching it, even if you have no idea what the hell is going on. It just looks cool. Listen to the excitement in the commentators' voices as they realize what Cancellara (the dude in yellow) is trying to do. If that doesn't pique your interest at least a little, I don't know what will.


Enough of my readers don't know the ins-and-outs of cycling well enough to fully grasp the degree to which this was an unusual, unpredictable, unprecedented* result. That's okay. Nobody's perfect.

It is for you, my dear friends, that I have come up with an analogy for what you just saw:

It's a soccer game between Brazil and Piscataway High School. For 80 minutes, the Brazilians juggle, do tricks, play practical jokes on each other, etc... Eessentially play Globetrotter (pardon the mixed metaphors). 80 minutes in, it's still 0-0. Well damn, if this ends in a tie, it's going to be scandalous! That PHS could tie Brazil, what a coup! So Brazil starts applying pressure. 85th minute, 0-0. 90th minute, 0-0. The desperation becomes obvious. The Brazilians have clearly miscalculated.

Now the question is, when Brazil scores the inevitable goal, will it be Ronaldinho? Caca? Poopoo?(ie, which famous forward/midfielder will score?) The commentators speculate idly, as the 91st minute, then the 92nd pass, and it's still 0-0. Suddenly their tone changes, and they predict that Piscataway will somehow hang on.

Finally, in the 95th minute, the ref is getting ready to blow his whistle. A PHS player clears the ball, and it reaches the Brazilian goalie. The goalie dribbles past every PHS player, all the way to the 5 yard line, dances around the PHS goalie, and scores.

What?!? The goalie? Really?

If you're more into politics than sports (you know who you are), then instead, it may help to think of things this way:
The notoriety of the 2000 presidential election peaked during the ballot counting in Florida, at the end of months of campaigning. Now imagine if the recount had found that in a surprise turn of events, Winston Churchill had won the state as a write-in candidate.

I'm amped just thinking about it. DanFlan's probably right, this weekend's races will probably be full of Cancellara-wannabes, which could make the tactics, um, complicated.


*We're not counting Eddy Merckx in this one.